Middleware-based real-time communication system

摘要

A middleware approach to implementation of real-time Ethernet that provides deterministic, i.e. predictable, communication services over the conventional Ethernet network is described. The middleware resides above the network interface device and the device driver, yet below the system transport services and/or user applications. The middleware schedules and controls admission of data packets onto the network and guarantees the real-time constraints of the data packets once they are admitted. Collision of data streams is prohibited during transmission of real-time data, yet collisions are allowed during transmission of soft- or non-real-time data for improved utilization of bandwidth. Bandwidth utilization is further optimized by incorporating a quality of service definition into the scheduling determination.